Wedding Pictures Part 1

I fully intended to post both part 1 & part 2 on the same day, but of course it didn't happen!
So here is Part 1, even though it's posted second....

We got married at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in Portland- it's a Portland Public Park but they have two different sites within the park you can rent for weddings. We used the Meadow- the larger of the two spots. It was just perfect even though our group was not so large, but there was lots of space and no one felt cramped. We were situated close to the bathrooms and close to the areas where the kids could go feed the ducks. There was an access road for delivering food/etc, so it was really a perfect spot. The view looked out over a river and onto a golf course, so it was green trees and flowers in every direction. It was just amazingly perfect and exactly what I envisioned for an outside wedding! The weather was beautiful and the temperature was perfect, and everyone had a great time!

Now onto the most important part, the photos!

Mom & I before the wedding- I started crying and of course she started too, but just a little....

My sister Heather & I

Madeline loved playing in the Mirror in our dressing room

And playing in my veil when I leaned down to tie the ribbon on my shoes
My sister Heather and my best friend Lisa...my two bridesmaids! I really love the dresses we ended up picking!

We did photos before the wedding so there wouldn't be so much delay after while we were taking photos- I'm glad we did it this way because then we got to share the special moment of seeing each other for the first time alone as a couple. Our photographer had told Jeremy to "wait there, don't turn around" and I walked up behind him. It was very exciting and seems weird to think about it, but it was such a special moment when he turned around and I saw him for the first time that day and he saw me...
We were both a little dumbfounded that this day had finally come, and overcome with happiness at the same time!

After the initial pictures Eva, Liana & Maggie came running over to see us- they wanted to play of course!

Trying to get a photo of all 14 little girls was definitely a challenge- I'm not sure we fully achieved it (at least not all at one time!), but we have wonderful shots of many of the little girls!

I really love this photo...